How To Design Sound For Theatre

Sounds come in two forms: auditory and acoustical.

The auditory is what we hear, which is usually when we are at a concert or other musical performance. Acoustical is how we perceive sound.

For a production, the acoustic and auditory requirements are usually coordinated. For example, sound may come from a TV that a character is watching, or sounds may come from the actor’s mouth and how his mouth is closed.

To enhance this sense of realism, the actor should be a good lip reader.

(Note that spoken dialogue is acoustical, and objects like water are audial. Sound that comes out of the actor’s mouth may affect how we hear the audio on the television. An actress playing a character should be well-versed in lip reading.)

Since sound effects are designed to enhance the audio, the sounds must be designed properly to amplify those sounds. On stage, the sounds need to be loud enough so that the audience can hear them and close enough so that actors can feel them.

The sound effects department does a great deal of research to find sounds that add realism and suspense to the production, and it is usually a team effort that involves lighting, costume, set, props, costuming, hair and makeup, and all the other actors in the show.

It is important that sound effects are acoustical in nature.

Imagine trying to hear a sword hit someone’s skull, and you need to hear it for yourself.

With audio/auditory effects, the same principle applies: if it is not loud enough, it’s not effective.

For theatre sound effects, it is very important to employ a vocal, as opposed to a spoken, style of playback.

Vocal playback sounds more authentic to the actor, even though it is quieter, and when the actor is projecting into the mic it has a greater impact.

Some actors are uncomfortable speaking in a full voice because they feel self-conscious. Vocal playback is more traditional and therefore should be avoided.

The effects department can use lip reading, which is quieter.

Since sound effects often come from non-traditional and non-audible sources, the sound effects department has to employ many different types of recordings and editing techniques to get the sound effect it wants.

Sound effects come in many types

SOUND EFFECTS (AUDIO):

Noise, Fan, Air/Steam, Vibration, Running Water, Smoke, Water, Glowing, Strained/Tense Voices, Cuts/Repetitive Sounds

SONIC EFFECTS (SOUND):

Brass, Electropop, Jazz, Electronic, Pop, Hip-hop

SOUND CASES:

Air, Water, Physics, Stealth

Non-Acoustical Sound Effects

Music can be added in two ways: through microphones, and through audio mixing, which can be enhanced by Sound Designer.

Adding sounds through monitors means they are loud enough for the actor to hear but are not loud enough for the audience.

Adding sounds through audio mixing will make the sounds louder, but they can also be added through a microphone to make them sound fuller. Sound mixing is a more traditional sound effect type.

In addition to adding sounds to the mix, mixing can also change the overall “ambiance” of the audio mix. This is a huge component of theatrical productions and it is something you should be considering carefully.

A sound designer will have a total overview of all the sound elements in the show.

As a sound designer, you are familiar with all the elements of sound, but just as with stage makeup, you may not be aware of what they do.

If you are unfamiliar with the subtlety of sound, you may not be aware of how much noise is going into the mix. If you are not familiar with the uses of FX, you may not be aware of how sound can help tell your story.

Or it may be that you just don’t understand how to achieve the look and tone of the production that you envision.

Sound designer’s goal:

What does the audience see, hear, feel and experience? How can I add an element of surprise, suspense, and tension into the mix to help the audience become more immersed in the story and gain more empathy for the characters?

Sound designer’s toolbox:

• a key
• a microphone
• a mixing console
• mic/shader/aux

Acoustical-acoustic compatibility is a very important aspect to sound design for live theatrical productions. The actors must be able to hear the audience, so the sound designer may choose to mic the audience.

Sometimes, actors can be on the stage, and so the sound designer may not want to mic the audience, but rather the actors (if that’s the case, they need to be aware of this and adjust their voices accordingly).

If you are mixing through a console, you are working with a variety of different audio elements: speakers, electronics, crossover and other things.

You are looking at all of these elements to help define the tonal quality of the sound mix and the mixing it with the sound effects.